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Wednesday, 21 July 2010

[News] Kinect Causes Concern

Yesterday Microsoft announced the UK price of their new motion sensor accessory, £129.99.

A little steep in price? I've been reading a number of articles online that have posted the price of Kinect in Europe, and the general feeling is that a large number of people aren't going to be willing to shell out that amount of money for an accessory.

I've personally taken a fair number of preorders for Kinect where I work, and I've been telling people it was estimated between £100-£130, so I'm happy that its fell (just about) between those two figures. I've personally preordered one, and will probably be collecting it, if only to jump around in front of my T.V. with friends and family.Ok, so the launch lineup isn't that fantastic, but on paper...and from seeing footage of Forza Motorsport and Dance Central, I'm staying optimistic that the tech of Kinect, although possibly not instantly, will bring new games/features to the Xbox 360 that will feel less like a gimmick, and more like a console-defining purchase for all. It is a pity that many of the launch games look and 'feel' like Wii titles, it really could have done with a core title to launch with, such as the already mentioned Forza.

Another thought that came to my mind while reading some comments were how forgetting some people are. A large number of gamers purchased Guitar Hero band packs for around £100. I admit, Kinect is more expensive than that by £30 but I predict you'll use the camera over time more than you use the entire band set.

At the end of the day, the future of Kinect and how it fares on launch day will be down to what gamers are willing to try and how enjoyable the launch titles are once completed. As much as I enjoy playing games with a traditional controller, I also enjoy the odd swing of a Wii remote. It'll bring variety to the 360, which is always a good thing.

Plus, as gimmicky as it is, I want to tell my Xbox to do things with my voice purely because I can!

On a slight side-note, Microsoft also revealed yesterday a smaller hard drive version of the newly designed Xbox 360. With 4GB worth of space, it'll be cheaper than its 250GB version, at £149.99. Or...you'll be able to purchase both the 4GB console and Kinect in a bundle for £249.